A rich man maybe wise in his own eyes, but a poor man who has discernment sees through him. Proverbs 28:11 NIV
A quote from the Saints:
Saint Thomas More
So blind are we in this mortal life, and so unaware of what will happen— so uncertain even of how we will think tomorrow— that God could not take vengeance on a man more easily in this world than by granting him his own foolish wishes.
A Christian’s goal should be to create the Kingdom of God here on earth, as it is in Heaven. Not only, to get to Heaven.
To finish the Bible in one year, Read Proverbs 16-18 and John 9.
Verses for today – Listen here:
Reflection for Today.
Also read the verses, if you like.
Proverbs 16
1 A human heart makes the plans, Yahweh gives the answer.
2 A person’s own acts seem right to the doer, but Yahweh is the weigher of souls.
3 Commend what you do to Yahweh, and what you plan will be achieved.
4 Yahweh made everything for its own purpose, yes, even the wicked for the day of disaster.
5 Every arrogant heart is abhorrent to Yahweh: be sure this will not go unpunished.
6 By faithful love and constancy sin is expiated; by fear of Yahweh evil is avoided.
7 Let Yahweh be pleased with someone’s way of life and he makes that person’s very enemies into friends.
8 Better have little and with it uprightness than great revenues with injustice.
9 The human heart may plan a course, but it is Yahweh who makes the steps secure.
10 The lips of the king utter prophecies, he keeps faith when he speaks in judgement.
11 The balances and scales belong to Yahweh, all the weights in the bag are of his making.
12 Evil-doing is abhorrent to kings, since uprightness is a throne’s foundation.
13 Upright lips are welcome to a king, he loves someone of honest words.
14 The king’s wrath is the herald of death, but the wise will appease it.
15 When the king’s face brightens it spells life, his favour is like the rain in spring.
16 Better gain wisdom than gold, choose understanding in preference to silver.
17 To turn from evil is the way of the honest; whoever watches the path keeps life safe.
18 Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.
19 Better be humble with the poor than share the booty with the proud.
20 Whoever listens closely to the word finds happiness; whoever trusts Yahweh is blessed.
21 The wise of heart is acclaimed as intelligent, sweetness of speech increases knowledge.
22 Shrewdness is a fountain of life for its possessor, the folly of fools is their own punishment.
23 The heart of the wise lends shrewdness to speech and makes words more persuasive.
24 Kindly words are a honeycomb, sweet to the taste, wholesome to the body.
25 There is a way that some think straight, but it leads in the end to death.
26 A worker’s appetite works on his behalf, for his hunger urges him on.
27 A worthless person concocts evil, such a one’s talk is like a scorching fire.
28 A troublemaker sows strife, a slanderer divides friend from friend.
29 The violent lures his neighbour astray and leads him by a way that is not good.
30 Whoever narrows the eyes to think up tricks and purses the lips has already done wrong.
31 White hairs are a crown of honour, they are found in the ways of uprightness.
32 Better an equable person than a hero, someone with self-mastery than one who takes a city.
33 In the fold of the garment the lot is thrown, but from Yahweh comes the decision.
Proverbs 17
1 Better a mouthful of dry bread with peace than a house filled with quarrelsome sacrifices.
2 A shrewd servant comes off better than an unworthy child, he will share the inheritance with the brothers.
3 A furnace for silver, a foundry for gold, but Yahweh for the testing of hearts!
4 An evil-doer pays heed to malicious talk, a liar listens to a slanderous tongue.
5 To mock the poor is to insult the Creator, no one who laughs at distress will go unpunished.
6 The crown of the aged is their children’s children; the children’s glory is their father.
7 Fine words do not become the foolish, false words become a prince still less.
8 A gift works like a talisman for one who holds it: it brings prosperity at every turn.
9 Whoever covers an offence promotes love, whoever again raises the matter divides friends.
10 A reproof makes more impression on a person of understanding than a hundred strokes on a fool.
11 The wicked person thinks of nothing but rebellion, but a cruel messenger will be sent to such a one.
12 Rather come on a bear robbed of her cubs than on a fool in his folly.
13 Disaster will never be far from the house of one who returns evil for good.
14 As well unleash a flood as start a dispute; desist before the quarrel breaks out.
15 To absolve the guilty and condemn the upright, both alike are abhorrent to Yahweh.
16 What good is money in the hand of a fool? To buy wisdom with it? The desire is not there.
17 A friend is a friend at all times, it is for adversity that a brother is born.
18 Whoever offers guarantees lacks sense and goes surety for a neighbour.
19 The double-dealer loves sin, the proud courts ruin.
20 The tortuous of heart finds no happiness, the perverse of speech falls into misery.
21 He who fathers a stupid child does so to his sorrow, the father of a fool knows no joy.
22 A glad heart is excellent medicine, a depressed spirit wastes the bones away.
23 Under cover of his cloak a bad man takes a gift to pervert the course of justice.
24 The intelligent has wisdom there before him, but the eyes of a fool range to the ends of the earth.
25 A foolish child is a father’s sorrow, and the grief of her who gave the child birth.
26 To fine the upright is indeed a crime, to strike the noble is an injustice.
27 Whoever can control the tongue knows what knowledge is, someone of understanding keeps a cool temper.
28 If the fool holds his tongue, he may pass for wise; if he seals his lips, he may pass for intelligent.
Proverbs 18
1 Whoever lives alone follows private whims, and is angered by advice of any kind.
2 A fool takes no pleasure in understanding but only in airing an opinion.
3 When wickedness comes, indignity comes too, and, with contempt, dishonour.
4 Deep waters, such are human words: a gushing stream, the utterance of wisdom.
5 It is not good to show partiality for the wicked and so to deprive the upright when giving judgement.
6 The lips of a fool go to the law-courts with a mouth that pleads for a beating.
7 The mouth of the fool works its owner’s ruin, the lips of a fool are a snare for their owner’s life.
8 The words of a slanderer are tasty morsels that go right down into the belly.
9 Whoever is idle at work is blood-brother to the destroyer.
10 The name of Yahweh is a strong tower; the upright runs to it and is secure.
11 The wealth of the rich forms a stronghold, a high wall, as the rich supposes.
12 The human heart is haughty until destruction comes, before there can be glory there must be humility.
13 To retort without first listening is both foolish and embarrassing.
14 Sickness the human spirit can endure, but when the spirit is broken, who can bear this?
15 The heart of the intelligent acquires learning, the ears of the wise search for knowledge.
16 A present will open all doors and win access to the great.
17 The first to plead is adjudged to be upright, until the next comes and cross-examines him.
18 The lot puts an end to disputes and decides between men of power.
19 A brother offended is worse than a fortified city, and quarrels are like the locks of a keep.
20 From the fruit of the mouth is a stomach filled, it is the yield of the lips that gives contentment.
21 Death and life are in the gift of the tongue, those who indulge it must eat the fruit it yields.
22 He who finds a wife finds happiness, receiving a mark of favour from Yahweh.
23 The language of the poor is entreaty, the answer of the rich harshness.
24 There are friends who point the way to ruin, others are closer than a brother.
John 9
1 As he went along, he saw a man who had been blind from birth.
2 His disciples asked him, ‘Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he should have been born blind?’
3 ‘Neither he nor his parents sinned,’ Jesus answered, ‘he was born blind so that the works of God might be revealed in him.
4 ‘As long as day lasts we must carry out the work of the one who sent me; the night will soon be here when no one can work.
5 As long as I am in the world I am the light of the world.’
6 Having said this, he spat on the ground, made a paste with the spittle, put this over the eyes of the blind man,
7 and said to him, ‘Go and wash in the Pool of Siloam’ (the name means ‘one who has been sent’). So he went off and washed and came back able to see.
8 His neighbours and the people who used to see him before (for he was a beggar) said, ‘Isn’t this the man who used to sit and beg?’
9 Some said, ‘Yes, it is the same one.’ Others said, ‘No, but he looks just like him.’ The man himself said, ‘Yes, I am the one.’
10 So they said to him, ‘Then how is it that your eyes were opened?’
11 He answered, ‘The man called Jesus made a paste, daubed my eyes with it and said to me, “Go off and wash at Siloam”; so I went, and when I washed I gained my sight.’
12 They asked, ‘Where is he?’ He answered, ‘I don’t know.’
13 They brought to the Pharisees the man who had been blind.
14 It had been a Sabbath day when Jesus made the paste and opened the man’s eyes,
15 so when the Pharisees asked him how he had gained his sight, he said, ‘He put a paste on my eyes, and I washed, and I can see.’
16 Then some of the Pharisees said, ‘That man cannot be from God: he does not keep the Sabbath.’ Others said, ‘How can a sinner produce signs like this?’ And there was division among them.
17 So they spoke to the blind man again, ‘What have you to say about him yourself, now that he has opened your eyes?’ The man answered, ‘He is a prophet.’
18 However, the Jews would not believe that the man had been blind without first sending for the parents of the man who had gained his sight and
19 asking them, ‘Is this man really the son of yours who you say was born blind? If so, how is it that he is now able to see?’
20 His parents answered, ‘We know he is our son and we know he was born blind,
21 but how he can see, we don’t know, nor who opened his eyes. Ask him. He is old enough: let him speak for himself.’
22 His parents spoke like this out of fear of the Jews, who had already agreed to ban from the synagogue anyone who should acknowledge Jesus as the Christ.
23 This was why his parents said, ‘He is old enough; ask him.’
24 So the Jews sent for the man again and said to him, ‘Give glory to God! We are satisfied that this man is a sinner.’
25 The man answered, ‘Whether he is a sinner I don’t know; all I know is that I was blind and now I can see.’
26 They said to him, ‘What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?’
27 He replied, ‘I have told you once and you wouldn’t listen. Why do you want to hear it all again? Do you want to become his disciples yourselves?’
28 At this they hurled abuse at him, ‘It is you who are his disciple, we are disciples of Moses:
29 we know that God spoke to Moses, but as for this man, we don’t know where he comes from.’
30 The man replied, ‘That is just what is so amazing! You don’t know where he comes from and he has opened my eyes!
31 We know that God doesn’t listen to sinners, but God does listen to people who are devout and do his will.
32 Ever since the world began it is unheard of for anyone to open the eyes of someone born blind;
33 if this man were not from God, he wouldn’t have been able to do anything.’
34 They retorted, ‘Are you trying to teach us, and you a sinner through and through ever since you were born!’ And they ejected him.
35 Jesus heard they had ejected him, and when he found him he said to him, ‘Do you believe in the Son of man?’
36 ‘Sir,’ the man replied, ‘tell me who he is so that I may believe in him.’
37 Jesus said, ‘You have seen him; he is speaking to you.’
38 The man said, ‘Lord, I believe,’ and worshipped him.
39 Jesus said: It is for judgement that I have come into this world, so that those without sight may see and those with sight may become blind.
40 Hearing this, some Pharisees who were present said to him, ‘So we are blind, are we?’
41 Jesus replied: If you were blind, you would not be guilty, but since you say, ‘We can see,’ your guilt remains.
Sermons by various teachers regarding the verses above.
Catholic Daily Readings and Reflections
Reading 1, Jeremiah 31:1-7
1 When that time comes, Yahweh declares, I shall be the God of all the families of Israel, and they will be my people.
2 Yahweh says this: They have found pardon in the desert, those who have survived the sword. Israel is marching to his rest.
3 Yahweh has appeared to me from afar; I have loved you with an everlasting love and so I still maintain my faithful love for you.
4 I shall build you once more, yes, you will be rebuilt, Virgin of Israel! Once more in your best attire, and with your tambourines, you will go out dancing gaily.
5 Once more you will plant vineyards on the mountains of Samaria (those who plant will themselves enjoy the fruit).
6 Yes, a day will come when the watchmen shout on the mountains of Ephraim, ‘Up! Let us go up to Zion, to Yahweh our God!’
7 For Yahweh says this: Shout with joy for Jacob! Hail the chief of nations! Proclaim! Praise! Shout, ‘Yahweh has saved his people, the remnant of Israel!’
Responsorial Psalm, Jeremiah 31:10, 11-12, 13
10 Listen, nations, to the word of Yahweh. On the farthest coasts and islands proclaim it, say, ‘He who scattered Israel is gathering him, will guard him as a shepherd guarding his flock.’
11 For Yahweh has ransomed Jacob, rescued him from a hand stronger than his own.
12 They will come, shouting for joy on the heights of Zion, thronging towards Yahweh’s lavish gifts, for wheat, new wine and oil, sheep and cattle; they will be like a well-watered garden, they will sorrow no more.
13 The young girl will then take pleasure in the dance, and young men and old alike; I shall change their mourning into gladness, comfort them, give them joy after their troubles;
Gospel, Matthew 15:21-28
21 Jesus left that place and withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon.
22 And suddenly out came a Canaanite woman from that district and started shouting, ‘Lord, Son of David, take pity on me. My daughter is tormented by a devil.’
23 But he said not a word in answer to her. And his disciples went and pleaded with him, saying, ‘Give her what she wants, because she keeps shouting after us.’
24 He said in reply, ‘I was sent only to the lost sheep of the House of Israel.’
25 But the woman had come up and was bowing low before him. ‘Lord,’ she said, ‘help me.’
26 He replied, ‘It is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to little dogs.’
27 She retorted, ‘Ah yes, Lord; but even little dogs eat the scraps that fall from their masters’ table.’
28 Then Jesus answered her, ‘Woman, you have great faith. Let your desire be granted.’ And from that moment her daughter was well again.
Audio Drama: Old Testament New Testament Each book is read in its entirety. You can listen to the bible, one book at a time in contemporary English.
Dr. Myles Munroe
I am including a video by Dr. Myles Munroe, I’ve listened to him back in the nineties, and rediscovered him recently. Now his perspective seems to be a good way to also look at scripture. In Pursuit of Purpose – Book Highlights
Sermons Rosary Prayers Catholic Answers
Did Mary have other children? No, Listen here
Called to Communion
Pray the Rosary
Rosary Mysteries
The following 4 videos are the 4 Mysteries that we pray on certain days of the week. I like these videos, because I can pray it alone, with only the images, or go along with the sound. The images help me to focus on the particular mystery that I am contemplating as I say the Hail Mary on each bead.
Joyful Mysteries
Luminous Mysteries
Sorrowful Mysteries
Glorious Mysteries
Prayers of the Rosary
Links to “How to pray the rosary” Popular Catholic Prayers
I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord;
Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried,
He descended into hell; the third day He arose again from the dead; He ascended into Heaven, sitteth at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty, from thence He shall come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting. Amen.
Our Father, Who art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy name; Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.
Glory be to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
(this prayer is optional and may be said after all Glory Be to the Fathers…..)
O my Jesus, forgive us our sins. Save us from the fires of hell.
Lead all souls to heaven, especially those who are in most need of thy mercy.
Console the souls in Purgatory, particularly those most abandoned. Amen
Hail Mary,
Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee, blessed art thou amongst women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen.
The Hail, Holy Queen
Hail Holy Queen, Mother of Mercy, our life our sweetness and our hope.
To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve;
To thee do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this valley of tears.
Turn then, most gracious advocate, thine eyes of mercy toward us and after this our exile show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary!
That we maybe made worthy of the promises of Christ.
Closing Prayer
O God, whose only begotten Son, by His life, death, and resurrection, has purchased for us the rewards of eternal salvation.
Grant, we beseech Thee, that while meditating on these mysteries of the most holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary,
that we may imitate what they contain and obtain what they promise, through Christ our Lord. Amen.
(The Fatima Prayer:)
Most Holy Trinity – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – I adore thee profoundly. I offer Thee the most precious Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ, present in all the tabernacles of the world, in reparation for the outrages, sacrileges and indifference’s whereby He is offended. And through the infinite merits of His Most Sacred Heart and the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I beg of Thee the conversion of poor sinners.
Prayer to St. Michael
Saint Michael, the Archangel, defend us in battle. Be our safeguard against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him, we humbly pray; and do you, O Prince of the heavenly host, by the power of God cast into hell Satan and all the evil spirits who wander through the world seeking the ruin of souls.
Amen.
Thurzo Gizella Bible Study 
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